The Other Princess
by The Steel Angel
Summary: A short story through the point of view of Midna right after the events of Twilight Princess.


The Other Princess  
By The Steel Angel

Authors Note - Set right after the events of Twilight Princess, inspired by the fact that Midna is the greatest Zelda character ever, and Link/Midna is so incredibly cute it isn't even funny.

She didn't know why she did it.

The Mirror of Twilight was the only thing that connected the world of light and worl;d of shadow together. It was the mirror that bridged the gap, and she'd shattered it. She'd sealed off the two worlds. Two worlds existing side by side, but never to meet. Never again.

Was it a spur of the moment decision? A decision that she'd later regret? Possibly, but there was no use dwelling on it now. What was done, was done. She couldn't change it now, even if she wanted to.

After all, she was the princess of this kingdom, much like Zelda was for her own. She had to make decisions based on the needs of her people, not her own selfish desires. God knows she would have made a different decision had she not been of royal blood.

She'd been raised to believe that beings of the light world were evil. That they were arrogant, selfish, and to keep beings of twilight subjugated and confined to the shadows. Truth be told, she honestly didn't mind when Zant bridged the gap between the worlds and covered Hyrule in twilight. He had filled Hyrule with the beautiful twilight that she knew and loved, and the only thing she had to complain about at the time, was the fact that she wasn't ruling it.

She eventually saw how power hungry Zant had become, of course. How he was as much a threat to the twili themselves as the light creatures he had relegated to the shadows of their own realm. She herself had been forcibly removed from her own throne, trapped in the body of that beastly imp by Zant-- no-- by Ganondorf's evil magic.

She met Zelda. A woman who's power and beauty rivaled that of her own. Even then, when light had been cast into darkness, she stilled burned with a light so bright that it was almost blinding. She was beautiful, even to Midna's eyes. No man she chose would ever stand aside her as he equal. No... She was a god. A god in a mortal's body.

Even then, in that disgusting, impish body, Zelda seemed to know who she was. She could sense that Midna was not out to do her harm. She wanted the same thing that Zelda wanted... To restore her kingdom. To deny Zant the power that he so desperately wanted. The compassion that Zelda showed to her, someone who could be considered an enemy, was remarkable. Did she know? Could she see into Midna's mind? No, that was absurd. Perhaps she merely... felt. Naitivity.

But even then, she did not trust Zelda. She was, when all was said and done, a being of light. A descendant of those who had sealed away her own ancestors eons ago. She couldn't say for sure, back then, that once Zant was out of the picture, she'd return everything the way it was. That she'd relent and once again bathe Hyrule in light.

Then, she met _him_.

He was a wolf at the time. A beast trapped in the bowels of Hyrule Castle. That was odd enough as it was. To pass from the light world to the shadow world and not become a spirit like all of the other light beings... that was intriguing. It made him different. Special.

Zelda had explained to her that to defeat Zant, they couldn't do it on their own. That they would need help from the one who was chosen by the gods. The legendary hero. She retold countless myths of ages ago, myths involving the hero. A single man who had single handedly defeated an evil King who had brought destruction to the land of Hyrule. How he had taken up a legendary blade and overcame countless obstacles including a punishing desert, a haunted temple of dead spirits, and even time itself, to defeat the evil King and restore peace throughout the land. Midna had laughed at the stories. They sounded absurd.

Zelda's stance did not waiver, nor did her faithfulness. She stayed true in her beliefs, recanting the story of the ultimate power in her land. She told her about the Triforce. How the magic artifact contained the very essence of the gods. She told her about how long ago, the evil King touched the triforce, and it broke into three pieces, each one finding its chosen person.

She said that the evil King had kept the Triforce of Power in his grasp. That she herself possessed the Triforce of Wisdom. She maintained that the Triforce of Courage belonged to the chosen one, the legendary hero. It was this precious artifact that allowed him to weild the legendary blade and banish the evil King, along with the Triforce of power, into the sacred realm, sealing him there for millenia.

Zelda had told her that this legendary hero would come. She couldn't help but wonder, as she looked down at this beast, this stupid wolf... if it was true.

He helped her. This boy named Link. He helped her on her quest, without ever thinking twice. He helped restore the Light Spirits their power, and helped her obtain the fused shadows, which stored the ancient power of her people. She didn't tell him what they were for... but he helped her anyway.

As time went on, she began to grow more and more fond of her soft-spoken companion. He still didn't ask about her past, who she really was, or anything regarding her intentions. She didn't ask him any of the same questions either, but she didn't have to. She could guess as to what his upbringing consisted of. She came to trust him, above all else. She didn't realize how much until after they'd already restored the Mirror of Twilight, and ventured into the twilight realm. Her home.

It was when they had confronted Zant that she found, for the first time, how much she had truly come to care about this boy. Zant revealed the truth about Midna's past. Her true identity as the Twilight Princess. She had expected Link to change upon hearing this new information, but he didn't. He didn't change at all. It was like the information had never reached his ears. He continued defending her and himself, just like he'd been doing since they met.

They journeyed out of the twilight realm after the defeat of Zant, finding out that he was simply a puppet for the real power. Ganondorf. The evil King Zelda had spoken about in her stories. Was this the same person? The same evil king from eons ago, come to once again try and take over this land?

She could see Link wasn't afraid, even as they approached the throne of the evil Lord. His very presence sent cold chills through Midna's heart, but Link stood his ground. She watched him approach Ganondorf without fear. She realized that Zelda's stories must all be true. That he truly did wield the Triforce of Courage.

He raised his sword against Princess Zelda, Ganondorf's puppet host. But he did not strike her. He merely batted her own energy back at her, eventually weaking her enough so that Midna could gather herself enough to be able to purge the dark king from the Princess.

But Ganondorf was not yet done. He reappeared as a giant, howling beast, and this time, there was no way Midna and Link would be seperated. As she landed next to his shoulder as he stood, sword ready to strike down the beast, he looked at her, and she at him. They didn't have to speak. Their eyes showed everything.

"I'm glad you're okay..." His eyes told her.

"Me too." Her eyes answered back with an impish grin. But it was more than that. She had grown to care for him, in more ways than one. As a friend, companion, partner. She had grown to... love him?

She stood on a small outstretched spire of land back in the twilight realm, where this realm and the light realm had been connected. She stared out at the empty space, the space that would never again bridge the gap between the two worlds. She missed him already.

"Say something!" She demanded, once the evil King had fallen. She stood up, finding that the spell had been broken. That she was no longer trapped in that impish body. That she was herself again. She looked on, having seen the boy take off from Zelda's side the moment he saw her, and stop not five feet away, staring at her in awe. "Am I so beautiful that you have no words left?" She asked teasingly, having rendered the boy even more soft spoken than he already was.

He smiled at her. She smiled back. His smile was that of relief, love, and affection. He was happy she hadn't been killed. He was happy that she was back around him. Her smile was full of sadness. Sadness because she already knew what she had to do. Sadness because she was already mourning never again seeing the boy that she'd come to love.

She knew she had to return to her kingdom. Her people. She was the twilight princess, she couldn't stay in the realm of light. And she knew, by the same token, that Link could not come with her. He was a being of light. This was his home. This is what he knew. She didn't want to make him choose, because she knew he would choose to be with her, even at the expense of leaving behind everyone he cared about, and that cared about him.

As the three figures stood in front of the bridge between the realms out in the desert, she realized how much her opinion of the light beings had changed. She had been touched by Zelda's kindness. Her compassion. She had been touched by Link's companionship and strength. She had been touched by his love. And she loved him too.

"You heard what Zelda said..." She said slowly, turning her attention to Link. "As long as the Mirror of Twilight is here, we could see each other again..." She whispered. Link smiled his soft smile, and nodded at her. "Link, I..." She whispered. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She gently plucked it off her face, and pushed it forward. A small speck of glittering light flowing slowly toward the mirror. When it connected, it cracked the mirror. "See you..." Link and Zelda both gasped, as Midna ran up the steps, standing by the gateway.

She turned back, giving Link her full attention. She knew that she couldn't allow the realms to be connected, for fear of having what happened with Zant or Ganondorf happen again. She couldn't risk having one realm invade the other. She had to sever the connection between the two realms for good.

As she looked at Link, she could feel her heart tearing. Link stood in shock, looking back into her eyes, his mouth open in disbelief. She smiled at him once more, another tear rolling down her cheek, as her body began to dissipate in the portal, transporting her back to the twilight realm. Her face went last, letting her eyes see Link for as long as possible before she found herself looking at the portal from her own realm. Then all of a sudden, the portal vanished. The mirror on the other side had shattered.

She had sealed herself off from the only man she had ever loved. Tears of sadness and joyousness ran down her cheeks. She was sad to leave him, but happy that she had come to know him at all. She had her memories... they would have to be enough. If she had one regret, it was not telling him. Not saying those magic words when she still had the chance.

"Link I...I love you," She whispered into the twilight. She heard nothing back of course, but then she wouldn't have anyway. Link didn't talk much. She closed her eyes and smiled softly, the silence of the twilight soothing and comforting her, just like she knew he would do.

-FIN


End file.
